Winning Texas (36 page)

“
I don
’
t care what anyone thinks,
”
he said.
“
I love you. I know that we started out as poker buddies, but don
’
t you think we
’
ve grown into a lot more than that?
”

“
Sweetie, I love you, too, but you
’
re a highfalutin
’
journalist,
”
she said.
“
I
’
m just a country girl from Tyler. I don
’
t even have a college degree, just a silly real estate license.
”

“
You
’
re as smart as any woman I
’
ve ever met,
”
he said, putting an arm around her waist.
“
Would Beebe give you a divorce?
”

“
I think so,
”
she said.
“
There hasn
’
t been much going on between us in the last couple of years. I could probably sell the house in Katy pretty fast and offer to split the profits and go away.
”

“
Would you marry me?
”

“
Whoa, guy,
”
she smiled.
“
Lemme get the divorce first.
”

“
We
’
ll have to give up our poker games,
”
Travis said.
“
I can
’
t keep losing money. In fact, I probably need a better job.
”

His mind flew ahead six months, thinking about everything he needed to do before he became a father.

“
One thing at a time,
”
she said, her smile fading.
“
I
’
m like that leopard, can
’
t change my spots overnight. Neither can you. Besides, you know I make money setting up the games.
”

“
Maybe I can get a promotion,
”
Travis said.
“
I
’
ll talk to Annie about it tomorrow.
”

“
Sweetie, can we go to bed now? We don
’
t need to figure out everything tonight. I
’
m craving the chance to stretch out on your nice air mattress.
”

“
Sure, Lila Jo.
”
His head was swirling with ideas. He was surprised at how happy he felt. He
’
d never thought of Lila Jo as a potential wife, but he realized that she just might be everything he wanted.

CHAPTER 39

Annie looked up in surprise at the front of her glassed-in office. It was only 9:30 and reporters usually ambled into the newsroom after 10 a.m. But there was Travis, knocking on her door, looking showered, combed and happier than he reasonably should be at such an early hour. She motioned him in.

“
Hey, Trav,
”
she smiled.
“
What can I do for you?
”

“
Got a minute? I know it
’
s early, but I wanted to talk to you about my future. I think I got engaged last night.
”

“
You think? Don
’
t you know?
”

“
Lila Jo is pregnant. And I want to marry her.
”

Annie stood up, walked around to where he was standing and hugged him. She was surprised, but not exactly shocked, because Travis could be unpredictable, particularly in his personal life. But he looked undeniably jubilant. She
’
d only met Lila Jo a few times and liked her, but hadn
’
t exactly thought of her as a marriage partner for Travis.

“
Congratulations, guy,
”
she said.
“
Sit down and tell me more. I
’
ve got a few minutes before the morning news meeting starts.
”

“
She just told me last night,
”
Travis said.
“
We want the baby, but Lila Jo has to get divorced before we can get married.
”

“
Yeah, that
’
s the way it usually works,
”
Annie said.
“
So what are you thinking about your future?
”

“
Mostly I
’
m thinking about how poor I am,
”
he grinned.
“
Wondered if that assistant editor
’
s position is still open in Business?
”

“
Well, I
’
m hearing that the Business section has withdrawn the posting. I didn
’
t know you were interested in business reporting. You didn
’
t do it in your previous job, did you?
”

“
No,
”
Travis said.
“
To tell the truth, I
’
m interested in making more money. Moving into editing seems like the quickest way.
”

“
Don
’
t go into editing for the money,
”
she said.
“
It doesn
’
t pay that much more than reporting and it
’
s got a lot of hassles. I thought you loved the work of a reporter.
”

“
I do,
”
he said.
“
But I
’
ll have a family to support soon. What
’
s happening with the editing job? Does Business have an internal candidate?
”

“
No,
”
said Annie. She hated the thought of him moving from Metro, the local news desk, to the newsroom
’
s Business desk. She
’
d miss him, but it wasn
’
t just that. She hesitated a moment, wondering how much she could say without betraying the managing editor
’
s confidence.

“
To be honest, I think they decided not to fill the position because there
’
s going to be a big announcement soon about changes in the newsroom.
”

“
Again? Another round of layoffs?
”

“
Could be, but it sounds much more extensive than that. Rumors are flying, but the announcement won
’
t be until the end of the week. I
’
m guessing it might be another change in ownership.
”

“
Whoa,
”
Travis said.
“
Doesn
’
t sound good.
”

“
Tell you what. What if I let Greg know you might have interest in the assistant business editor
’
s position if it opens back up? Or would you rather talk to him yourself?
”

“
What day is the announcement?
”

“
I think the corporate suits will be here Friday morning.
”

“
I can wait a few days,
”
he said.
“
Thanks for talking to me, Annie. Can you keep what I said about Lila Jo under wraps for now?
”

“
Of course, Trav. Mum
’
s the word. Literally, perhaps.
”

He smiled at her feeble attempt at humor and left, headed in the direction of the coffee room. He must feel pretty good to come by before he got his first cup of coffee. She was happy for Travis, especially considering he was still mourning the loss of Nate. She made a mental note to talk to Brandon about the progress of Nate
’
s murder investigation. The police still seemed stumped and she felt more than frustrated about it. Then there was Friday
’
s announcement from the bigwigs. She
’
d tried to be nonchalant about it with Travis, but her synapses all ticked with worry. What would happen next
–
to her, to Travis and to all the other staffers in the money-starved newsroom? What was left to cut in what was already a bare-bones operation? She looked in her side drawer for her bottle of antacid.

CHAPTER 40

The
Houston Times
newsroom seemed to stop in its tracks when the delegation of California executives got off the fifth-floor elevator. Barry McKnight, the CEO of the
Times
’
parent company, McKnight Newspapers, led the delegation that included two other men Annie thought looked like bankers. McKnight, a blond surfer wunderkind who
’
d metamorphosed into a balding, self-important executive, wore a sober-looking gray suit and blue tie. Annie had seen him a few times previously in more relaxed outfits with a gold chain or two. She thought today
’
s sartorial formality must be a bad sign.

She didn
’
t like McKnight, and it wasn
’
t just for his knack of combining glib California-speak, faux-good messages undergirded with bad news for the
Times
and the other papers his company owned. She didn
’
t think he really understood or cared much about the news business or the communities the company
’
s papers served. She didn
’
t doubt, as he had often reminded them, that the papers
’
ad revenues and circulation had plummeted for nearly a decade. But he seemed to embrace every crackpot solution that came along, rather than having a sensible, long-term plan. Who knows what he
’
d say today?

The computer message flashed on her screen that the stand-up meeting was about to begin. She gathered with other editors, reporters, copy editors, and photographers in the center of the newsroom where big announcements and going-away parties took place. Amanda Weeks chatted with McKnight, trying to conceal the strain on her face. Weeks, an attractive woman with short black hair and tall black boots that accentuated her tiny body, was a strong editor-in-chief with an even stronger personality. Annie admired and believed in her proven leadership while steering clear of her changing moods. But she always studied Amanda
’
s moves closely, thinking her somewhat of a role model. Since more than a hundred staffers had gathered, the editor tapped a microphone for quiet.

“
Let
’
s all welcome Barry McKnight, our CEO, from California,
”
Amanda said in her clear voice.
“
He
’
s got some important things to tell us.
”

“
Hey, guys,
”
McKnight said, stepping up to the microphone, his stomach leading the way.
“
First, I
’
d like to introduce you to new partners in our newspaper enterprises, Russ Williamson and Cal Parnell of Agamemnon Partners. I
’
m sure some of you have heard of Agamemnon, the incredibly successful hedge fund started by Russ and Cal ten years ago.

“
As you know, we
’
ve had some challenging economic times during the four years since McKnight bought the
Houston Times
. We thought the newspaper industry would stabilize, but profits have continued to fall. No one knows when it will bottom out. Things are especially bad in Houston since the collapse of oil prices. Despite city boosters
’
claims of a more diversified economy than when the big recession ruined the 1980s, Houston
’
s heart still beats on oil. The
Times
’
advertising and circulation have suffered tremendously.
”

“
So in the last six months, we
’
ve been talking to experts about what to do with our newspapers, especially the
Times
. As a result, Agamemnon Partners has decided to buy the
Times
and make some radical changes. We hope Houston will become a national model for the industry. Now I
’
ll turn the meeting over to Russ.
”